Seeking Poverty?

Over the last few years I have felt the call to seek a simpler life, particularly in the area of material possessions (though admittedly I am moving very slowly). In a sense, I have felt called to a life of some sort of material poverty for the sake of the Gospel, my own well- being, and the well- being of my family. But this call on my life is so often misunderstood by those around me. That being said, I would like to take a personal moment (this is after all my own journal ) and clarify briefly what I think it means for someone like myself to be called to poverty for the sake of the Gospel of Christ.

Maybe I should start by noting what I DO NOT think it means to seek poverty for the sake of the Gospel.

First, I do not think that being poor materially means that one will be loved more by God. I don’t see anything in scripture to suggest that God loves anyone more than another, regardless of wealth, position in society, or otherwise. In my opinion, God loves all equally.

I also do not believe that giving up all possessions and seeking poverty is some sort of requirement for salvation. This sort of ascetic thinking leads, in my opinion, to a sort of works- righteousness and self- righteousness that is dangerous and difficult to avoid.

And finally, I do not believe that giving up all possessions and seeking poverty is the ‘next step’ for those who would want to be ‘super- Christians’ or ‘extra- Holy.’ Yes, for some this path to simplicity will lead to a deeper relationship with God and others, but I don’t think it is a sort of ‘step to Sainthood.’

So why seek poverty for the sake of the Gospel? How would a simple life relate to Jesus’ message and God’s life?

I think understanding this call depends greatly on recognizing first that scripture reveals to us a God that cares deeply and acts on behalf of the poor and oppressed. From the liberation of the Israelites in the Exodus, to the proclamations (and warnings) of the Prophets, to the sacrificial life and teachings of Jesus, scripture clearly points to this undeniable aspect of God’s nature. God cares for those who are hurting and on the margins of society, and acts on their behalf. If one misses this, then seeking poverty for the sake of the Gospel cannot make sense.

I also believe that to follow Christ and love God with all heart, soul, and mind, one must learn to care about what God cares about. The old prayer, “Dear God, make my heart break with the things that break your heart” is a good and sound request for one who seeks to follow. So if God cares and acts on behalf of the poor and oppressed, then I feel called to seek ways to do the same.

But it seems almost impossible to truly care for persons, and act on the behalf of persons, that I don’t know and understand. If I am to care for the poor, I need to connect with them… I need to know how they feel… what they are afraid of… what they worry about… I need to be as much ‘one’ with them as I can be, and I cannot do that if my life is separated from theirs. I can’t know what it means to be without things, if I have all I need and much more.

I think in a sense this is exactly what God was revealing to creation in the life of Jesus. God needed to show us what loves is… God needed to connect with us… become ‘one’ with us… in order to display the unfathomable love of God. God set the example in Jesus, and I think, in a very finite and inadequate sense, some are called to follow this way, in imitation of Christ. I think some are called to seek poverty, not for poverty’s sake, but rather to enter into solidarity with those who are hurting, and better come to know and understand them, and therefore become better able to care for and love them.

Paul wrote, “If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care- then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death- and the worst kind of death at that- a crucifixion.” Philippians 2: 1-8

Most Gracious God, break my heart with the things that break your heart. Give me the strength and faith to seek poverty for the sake of the Gospel. Help me find ways to forget myself for those who are hurting. And help me to do this with humility and peace, avoiding the pitfalls of self- righteousness. In Christ Name… Amen

Downward Mobility

"It is difficult to learn to live the downward mobility of the gospel in this age of wealth. For the most part, those of us who are rich never meet those who are poor." - Shane Claiborne

Shane Claiborne has become a beautiful voice within a new movement some are calling the New Monasticism. Read what Claiborne has to say about the Simple Way and living the gospel at Speaking of Faith.

Bringing Hope to Urban Youth

While Mississippi may not seem like a place where one could engage in "urban Ministires," the truth is that our neighborhoods face the same sorts of problems faced by those of large cities like Chicago, or Newark NJ. The same sort of nihilism that tears down families and young people, resulting in part from decades of poverty and abandonment, plagues our under- resourced areas, creating a poverty trap that is incredibly difficult to escape. And yet, as Kingdom of God people, we are called to the 'desert' places that society abandons. If we cannot bring Hope to these places, who can... and who will?

I am always on the lookout for interesting ideas to help those who are being left behind, and I found what looks like a pretty cool program, in New Jersey of all places. Check out their BLOG and their webpage. I think this would be a great ministry for Mississippi.

The Jesus Way

Guess what... When you are thirty- six years old, and you fall in the street while trying to 'Heely' with your seven year old... it hurts! And you bleed. Yes, drawing on all my athletic prowess, I managed to bust my knee yesterday (not to mention rip my favorite pair of jeans) trying to keep up with my seven year old in a pair of sneakers that, of all things, have wheels built into them. When exactly does wisdom begin? :-)

Of course, it wasn't a complete loss. While I didn't win any 'cool' points with Simon (or the neighbors for that matter) I did learn something. As usual, what I learned came from my rather quick witted son, who upon seeing my knee bleeding laughed a bit then helped me up. In an off- handed way I said to him, "Now I don't want to hear you say I never do anything for you... check out my knee." To which he replied, "Hey, you are like Jesus... you are bleeding for me." Giggling he ran back to his room to set up a video game, since obviously dad could not handle the real thing.

Now let's don't get crazy and make too many comparisons between me and Jesus. But isn't it interesting that somehow Simon made that connection. In some sense, he realized that what Jesus had done for all of us, sacrificing himself for others, I had done (or at least my knee had done) for Simon. A lot of questions popped into my mind...

What if, instead of trying to tell non- christians what to do and how to live, we chose Jesus' way and simply loved and bled for them? What if we gave ourselves to others more fully? What if we followed the Calvary example, and gave all we had to lift others up, to help them realize their incredible worth? What if we followed Jesus' example and skipped the question of, "Do they deserve my love, my help?" Jesus didn't ask that... or at least did not base his life on that. Instead he loved prostitutes, and the worst of sinners. He gave his all, and literally bled out of love.

I think, when people live this way, when people immerse themselves into the lives of 'the other,' and give all they have to help lift the other up, to show them how much they are worth to God, then we find the kingdom. Anytime we follow the way of Christ, the path of self- sacrificial love for others, we participate in God's plan of redemption for the world. If even a seven year old naturally sees this (at least in some sense), then what impact could this sort of life have on our communties? Would people see Chrstians differently if they could say "Hey, you are like Jesus..." And why do we choose the safe and easy route of just talking about love and trying to be the 'guardians of morality?' (maybe I answered that one in the question itself) Tough questions...

Well Put!

OK. Sometimes you read something that is just so well written that you don't want to add anything. I read something like that today, so I am going to simply let you read it, and say that, in my opinion, this is an excellent explanation of how the Kingdom of God becomes a present reality, as it is meant to be.

When the kingdom is manifested, it's rather obvious. It doesn't look like a church building. It doesn't necessarily look like a group of religious people professing certain things- including the profession that they are Christian. It doesn't necessarily look like a gathering of people advocating the right political or ethical causes. It doesn't look like a group who are- or will at least believe themselves to be- morally superior to others, telling them how they should live. It doesn't look like a group using swords, however righteous they believe their sword yeilding to be. It rather looks like people individually and collectively mimicking God. It looks like Calvary. It looks Christian, whether it identifies itself as such or not. When people are 'coming under' others to love and serve them, without regard to how much or how little those others derserve it, and without regard for their own interests and reputation, the kingdom of God has come.- The Myth of a Christian Nation, by Gregory Boyd

Amen. That is where I want to be!!!!

The Kingdom Life- Getting the First Things First

Over the last couple of weeks I have written about the Kingdom of God, and even provided a link to a sermon from Rob Bell. There is tons more to say of course, but even this brief explanation of the kingdom life- what it means to be a follower of Jesus and live out God's kingdom on earth- can be very intimidating. In fact, some of Jesus' teachings about the kingdom life (particularly the Sermon on the Mount)are strong enough to cause one to throw up her hands saying, "that can't be right- it can't be that hard." After all, we live in a fallen world, and talk of living according to 'God's Rule' and following closely the teachings of Jesus in every part of our lives seems practically impossible, and maybe a little legalistic.

Well, in short, it is impossible, and impossibly legalistic- if we try to do it on our own. And of course, that is exactly what we often try to do. We grab hold of this 'kingdom idea' and try to run with it. We try to follow Jesus' teachings to the letter, and fall into failure and legalism in the process.

But if we follow the biblical pattern provided by Jesus, and we allow God's Spirit to transform us, then I believe that kingdom life is indeed possible. What is the pattern you ask? Put simply, love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. According to Jesus, this is the foundation for everything else. Or to put it another way, Connect to God, Connect to other Disciples, and Connect to the World!

Connect to God: This is the first step on the journey to kingdom life. Those who wish to head out on this adventure must first connect with the ulimate Guide. We must come to understand God as best we can, connecting with God on ever deepening levels, pursuing God with all we have. This takes time of course, and happens over a lifetime, even through the second and third steps. But it is essential to begin here.

Connect to other Disciples: The second step is to enter into covenant community with others on the same journey- your fellow disciples. In community we not only get strength and support, but we learn what it means to truly be human. We learn what is means to be One as the three persons of the Trinity are one.

Connect to the World: The third step is a continuation of the first two. Jesus made clear that our 'neighbors' are not just those who look and think like us, or those who live within our borders. Our neighbors are everyone, and disciples will learn to connect in life giving ways. Service to the world as a living expression of God's love is the disciple's ministry, and continues the transformation being accomplished by God's Spirit within the individual, the worshipping community, and the world.

The process is really quite simple. Connect to God, Connect to other Disciples, and Connect to the World. It is a journey toward kingdom life, and there are really no ways to abbreviate the trip. But in the end it will be well worth it, as we experience our own transformation, the transformation of those around us, and the transformation of God's creation.

Why the Bookshelf?

I was not always part of the United Methodist Church. As a child and young adult I attended a Southern Baptist church with my parents. There were many good things about this church, though honestly I wasn't very interested at the time. But there were some disturbing things as well.

One of the wonderful things about the Southern Baptist church is its insistence on the centrality of scripture. 'Sola Scriptura' was the battle cry. Only scripture. Everything taught or preached had to be grounded directly in scripture, or it held little weight for the community.

Unfortunately, this sort of emphasis on scripture was also one of the disturbing parts of the church as well. This position did not just elevate scripture, but denigrated all other writing and knowledge. In fact, other writings, like Philosphy, or History of Religions, or Science, or even Sociology, were to be avoided for fear that they were evil, the 'wisdom of man,' and would somehow lead faithful christians away from God. Scripture and scripture alone, read objectively (or at least as interpreted by the preacher) was the only safe route.

Of course, the simple fact is that none of us living in the 21st century can just 'read scripture' objectively. We all bring to scrpiture (as we do with all texts) something of ourselves. We have presuppositions, pre- understandings if you will. These presuppositions form something of a lens through which we read and interpret. So when I go to the bible, whether I realize it or not, I bring a 21st century, post enlightenment, postmodern, white, male, European lens that has been shaped by thinkers like Sigmond Freud, Immanual Kant, and Frederick Nitzsche, not to mention the more immediate influences on my life, like teachers, pastors, and parents. I may not realize it, but my entire worldview has been shaped by my experiences, and I bring this to the text everytime I pick it up, which more often than not creates distortion. How do I know this is the case? Well, here is a good test. If everytime I go to scripture, I find exactly what I expect to find... I might better worry.

And this is why it is important to read other books than scripture. Our holy texts were written over thousands of years, probably beginnig 3000- 4000 years ago. The people that wrote these texts understood the world very differently. If I only bring my unchallenged 21st century worldview, then it is very unlikely that I will fully grasp the meanng of the text. How am I to understand what a Jewish peasant living during the time of first century Judaism, under oppression of the Roman government, was trying to convey if I know nothing of first century Judaism? How am I to rightly understand scripture if I don't know what terms like 'Son of God' and 'Messiah' and 'Kingdom of God' (all concepts central to the Gospels) meant when they were written? It would be like expecting a first century Jew to understand my meaning if I said, "The Bulls really have the Market right now." I expect his expression would be confused at best.

I am not trying to reduce the significance of scripture. Far from it. In fact, I am suggesting that scripture is far more valuable and worthy of our attention than is often thought. It is worth it to read history, to try and understand the cultural situation in which the authors of scripture lived and breathed. It is worth it to read books on Philosophy, if for no reason other than discover who we are, and understand what we unconsciously bring to the scriptural texts. Read Nitzsche, or Heidegger and you may be surprised to discover where many of the ideas you take for granted originated. Read Sociology and Psychology to better understand humanity. Read Theology to understand how Christian leaders have understood God through the ages. Read all these things, not in place of scripture, but to better understand scripture, and to be more open to the work of God's Spirit.

John Wesley used to say that he was a man of one book, that book being the Bible of course. And yet, his library revealed the truth behind that phrase. Wesley read constantly, devouring books that he believed would help him in his understanding. He quoted books frequently in his journals and writings, and instisted that Methodist preachers read as he did. So read, and do not be afraid, for all truth is God's truth, and God honors those who seek Him. Be aware of your own preconceptions, the lens through which you interpret what you read. And let us all honor our sacred scriptures by struggling to hear what God wishes to speak through them.

More on the Kingdom of God

For a great sermon about the kingdom of God from Rob Bell, entitled Wine and Heaven, go to Rob Bell Sermons then follow the instructions to download.

Where is the Kingdom of God?

One of the most intriguing conversations I have encountered in recent years is the conversation internal to Christianity concerning the kingdom of God. Some claim that the kingdom of God is synonomous with 'heaven,' and that heaven is a place 'out there' somewhere. According to this line of thought, if you believe the right things about God and Jesus, then you get to escape eternal damnation (hell) and go to this wonderful place of eternal bliss- after you die of course. While this is a commonly held view, the biblical support for locating the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven, out there, somewhere, is weak at best, and possibly non-existent. Unfortunately, this view often also results in a gospel message that has nothing to say about the current life we live, or our responsibility in the present world. If, after all, Jesus (and by extension God) is primarily concerned with individual salvation (life after death) then our current world is merely to be endured, as we await something better.

Another version, or theory, about the kingdom, is what might be called the "In Our Hearts" theory. According to this idea, the kingdom of God is located within the hearts of believers. Whenever and wherever you find a person with Jesus in her heart, or 'the mind of Christ' to use more biblical terminology, then God's kingdom resides in that person. This concept of kingdom seems much more in line with the biblical record, and certainly has some truth to it. And yet, considering the abundance of political language in scripture, and the fact that God seems to be interested in the complete redemption of God's good creation, this idea is at best incomplete.

The kingdom of God is much more than a disposition of the heart and mind in the individual. 'Kingdom' is communal language, not individual language. The whole idea of kingdom concerns the polis, or the political order of a particular community. The 'Kingdom of God,' also known as the 'Kingdom of Heaven,' (In Matthew especially) is a reference to a political reality. Christ came proclaiming (and embodying) the in- breaking of a new political reality upon the earth. Jesus announced that God's kingdom, a political reality under the rule of God- a nation of priests- was coming near. Christ walked the earth, pulling together the twelve tribes of Israel (note 12 disciples) into the community that would be the kingdom- the community living presently under the rule of God. The offer to join this kingdom, this new community that organized life around the will of God, was then expanded to all the peoples of the world. This is a much more accurate understanding of Kingdom, and makes much more since in light of scripture.

So next time you read the Gospels, read them with this idea of the kingdom as an earthly political reality in mind. Put away the notions of 'one day, after we die,' and begin to see what Jesus was saying about the here and now, the way we as children of God are expected to live within God's kingdom, which is both already here, and not quite yet. If you have not read scripture from this viewpoint before, beware, it may change your understandings of the faith.